But how can I find someone to come sailing?

peteK said:
Get used to handling the boat on your own don't rely on having crew.
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This.
Not because you're Billy No Mates, but because that way, you can take along people who don't know what they're doing. You wouldn't be the first person to want crew to help handle the boat, then get out there and, when you rely on them, find they've no idea or sense.

In normal times, I'd agree with Crewseekers and local sailing clubs, but these aren't normal times. If the vaccines prove effective against the new varieties of covid, we may be getting back to some semblance of normality by the start of the season, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.

If you've got a rough idea, the best way to learn would be to do a Day Skipper Practical, but I guess that isn't going to happen for a while. If I found the boat I wanted, I'd watch a few Youtubes on parking your boat, then go out on a calm day and spend a few hours pontoon bashing, trying the different techniques. Then learn how the sails work on your boat, and try them, again, on a calm day. Once you're confident with them, it's time to actually start sailing. Oh, and you'll want a VHF licence, if you haven't got one.

The one tip I can give is ALWAYS think through what you want to do and how you're going to do it - and what's plan B if it doesn't work. What's the wind doing? What's the tide doing? How does my boat react in these conditions? How deep is the water, here, and over there? What about that muppet bearing down on me? - Or is he the stand-on, and I'm the muppet? After a while it becomes instinctive, but it isn't when you start.
 
ryanroberts said:
Having a wee and parking in strange places is the most difficult bit about solo sailing so far for me.
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If in open water clear of obvious hazards, then just go down below for a pee, else use a plastic beaker (with a long lanyard attached for flushing) kept in the cockpit side-locker.

Parking on one's own isn't difficult. Just get everything ready in open water (lines and teats on both sides for all contingencies, including midships lines), then plan everything to make use of tide as a brake and wind as a helping-hand, etc.
 
Stemar said:
...because that way, you can take along people who don't know what they're doing. You wouldn't be the first person to want crew to help handle the boat, then get out there and, when you rely on them, find they've no idea or sense.
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Absolutely! Unless someone is an experienced sailor or regular crew, I treat them as a passenger who might or might not be willing to learn - and who must have the ability to do exactly what I ask of them, only that and only when I want that done, etc.
 
Tinder? ?

The being able to sail competently solo is, in my opinion, an essential skill for everyone to have. That way you can have whatever guests along for the ride and not have to worry about their mobility, interest or competence. Life gets much easier that way!
 
Babylon said:
If in open water clear of obvious hazards, then just go down below for a pee, else use a plastic beaker (with a long lanyard attached for flushing) kept in the cockpit side-locker.

Parking on one's own isn't difficult. Just get everything ready in open water (lines and teats on both sides for all contingencies, including midships lines), then plan everything to make use of tide as a brake and wind as a helping-hand, etc.
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Have the beaker. Parking issues are down to a huge lack of experience in certain circumstances, reasonable on a dock mostly as my boat handling / lassoing is ok due to years of messing about in narrowboats but I think I last rafted on a flotilla about 5 years ago.. not really been a thing this year.

Also bought a fancy warp threading hook after nearly ending up attached to a buoy rather than the boat solo.
 
Babylon said:
Parking on one's own isn't difficult. Just get everything ready in open water (lines and teats on both sides for all contingencies, including midships lines), then plan everything to make use of tide as a brake and wind as a helping-hand, etc.
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Clearest example of the benefit of single handing that sticks in my mind, or the point at which I thought "you know what being single handed really isn't a disadvantage" was going into big lock with a floating pontoon behind a yacht with about 6 crew. I had everything ready well in advance, short line off a centre cleat, stern line on and job done. On the boat with 6 crew loads of shouting and running around with fenders for a ridiculous amount of time.
 
Jay Bee said:
Hi all, new to the forum here.

I've recently taken an early redundancy and so with time on my hands have decided to buy a boat. Something along the lines of Hallberg Rassy 31 would suit me fine ;) and I was thinking of berthing in Chatham marina. My experience of sailing is probably 'novice coastal cruiser'.
Now my wife, who loves an Ionian Flotilla ,has said point blank that she refuses to come along for some yachting in the chilly waters of Kent or anywhere else that's not the Med in summer. And because I've retired early, all my friends are still working and can't take the time off!
So my question is: How do I go about enjoying daysails / coastal cruising etc on my 30/32 ft yacht without any viable crew member?
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This is not a new problem and I would suggest getting the compatible crew is a real problem especially if you want to do cruising or even just overnight
It is a catch 22 that until you are confident and or competent singlehanded is daunting
You don’t say what experience you have which would affect your options
Sorry I am not giving answers but a boat is a big investment in time and finance
Perhaps someone who is no longer sailing their own boat would be an option but on the other hand you might end up financing their sailing but not calling the shots
I sailed with a great sailor good company but even on other peoples boats you required a winch handle to remove him from the tiller
 
scottie said:
You don’t say what experience you have which would affect your options
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He said "My experience of sailing is probably 'novice coastal cruiser'. " Which sounds ideal. Done some but not over confident. The Medway is a great starting place, wide enough for a sheltered sail but with complicated enough navigation challenges to learn on
 
Coming into a berth single handed is far easier using a midships cleat spring line as in this video. If there isn't already a midships cleat on the boat it's easy enough to fit one. This technique was a revelation to me, now I can easily and happily bring my Colvic Watson 34 back into her berth without any last minute panicking/rushing. Lash wheel/tiller to turn boat away from pontoon finger & engine in tickover fwd gives you all the time you need to sort out the other mooring lines.

As others have said it's easier to sail solo than it is with a complete novice so the logical order is to be able to sail solo before taking passengers, experienced crew obviously are a different matter. Take someone experienced with you just to be there if needed but you do everything solo if possible. Or take the boat out of the berth and bring her back on your own a few times, then sail a bit just with the genoa on a calm day a few times and build up your experience and confidence gradually. You'll make a few mistakes as we all do and that's fine, just be sensible and mindful of safety. Sailing solo is wonderful and rewarding...
 
Another vote for Facebook sailing buddies. Make sure you require them to bring their own oilies and LJ - that will rule out people hoping to get a free lesson and generally suggests they will be half competent.
As others have said, solo sailing is fine. Personally I find solo sailing the least stressful as skipper, then with a competent crew and finally sailing with a novice crew last of all. Having more hands is nice, but if you have to use one brain to operate 4 hands it gets harder, especially when two of the hands need to be voice controlled!
 
Jay Bee said:
Hi all, new to the forum here.

I've recently taken an early redundancy and so with time on my hands have decided to buy a boat. Something along the lines of Hallberg Rassy 31 would suit me fine ;) and I was thinking of berthing in Chatham marina. My experience of sailing is probably 'novice coastal cruiser'.
Now my wife, who loves an Ionian Flotilla ,has said point blank that she refuses to come along for some yachting in the chilly waters of Kent or anywhere else that's not the Med in summer. And because I've retired early, all my friends are still working and can't take the time off!
So my question is: How do I go about enjoying daysails / coastal cruising etc on my 30/32 ft yacht without any viable crew member?
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Wouldn't it be better to just buy a share in a yacht based in the Med?
 
ryanroberts said:
Having a wee and parking in strange places is the most difficult bit about solo sailing so far for me. I prefer company usually, but mostly due to living alone on a boat in the first place.
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Heaving-to is a useful technique to enable solo peeing in safety and comfort. It simplifies any activity requiring you to leave the helm and is a definite prerequisite of solo reefing.
When instructing someone how to get a line ashore, (centre cleat method is best), it's easiest if you show them what you want before you cast off, at the start of the trip.
 
Spirit (of Glenans) said:
Heaving-to is a useful technique to enable solo peeing in safety and comfort. It simplifies any activity requiring you to leave the helm and is a definite prerequisite of solo reefing.
When instructing someone how to get a line ashore, (centre cleat method is best), it's easiest if you show them what you want before you cast off, at the start of the trip.
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Have never tried reefing hove-to with a furler, does that work? I usually just do the lame motoring into the wind thing. I realised the importance of a little pre instruction after a line ended up in the water :confused:
 
Lots of folk in your position, why not start by going sailing with someone already owning a boat, it is easier to find a skipper than find a crew. Join a club and stick your details on the board, it is usually cheaper too, if you still want to buy plenty of time for that later.
 
Many thanks for all your replies. You've given me some very good advice in there. Overall I think learning to sail singlehanded is the ultimate goal, then I won't have a problem! But in the meantime I'll probably join a sailing club and find some crew from there. First of course, I need to buy that boat (once this Covid rubbish ends).
 
peteK said:
Get used to handling the boat on your own don't rely on having crew.
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+1 remove the trinary of being tied to others. Get used to sailing alone and then when people come with you they can be either passengers out for a trip or crew. This opens up a lot more opportunities. I second joining a club. That's always a good way to make friends who want to sail.
 
As a side option, how would your wife feel about you sailing alone for a week or two in the Med a few times a year whilst she's working? If she'd be OK then perhaps getting an ex-charter boat in the med could be an option (brexit complications not withstanding)? You can have a nice sail in the warmth whist she slaves in the office & she can join you for her holidays too...?
 
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